it’s been a busy week… of freezing temps and runny noses… of rearranging and green-ifying our teeny apartment, babies nearly crawling out of cribs (well, just one baby at least. my baby.) and overall a few too many roasted root vegetables and earthy stews (come on… spring!!). of course as soon as i start to type, there’s an unhappy 6-month-old doing his very best to let me know he’s unhappy…

ok. now i’m back. and today something really awesome happened. so, i’ve been pretty hard at work on “entrepreneurial things” (which i mentioned in the last post) with my friend, ann marie, and today i found out that a recipe i submitted on our behalf and in anticipation of the launch of our business – which we are super psyched about, by the way – was chosen by The Chalkboard & Pressed Juicery to be part of their “Citrus Bliss Recipe Contest.” how. awesome. is that.

[lemon thyme baked donuts – vegan.. duh.]

here’s what i wrote about the recipe for The Chalkboard (which is one of my favorite blogs):

I had some crazy intense citrus cravings last year while I was expecting my first baby. Up until about 6 months pregnant, I was commuting from Philadelphia to New York City to attend culinary school (all while holding down an adjunct teaching gig and a part-time restaurant internship) and I would often find myself making detours whenever I spotted lemonade. or lemon sorbet. or just a picture of a lemon. I maybe even tried to convince my friends that it was completely acceptable to serve only lemonade, lemon iced tea, and water with lemon at my baby shower. Even six months since the arrival of my son, I still find myself running to our Whole Foods down the street for lime popsicles at 10pm. Aside from my popsicle habit, though, and the majority of my time spent growing a sweet, tiny chubby human, I’ve been pouring all of my creative and entrepreneurial energy into launching a food business with my good friend and business partner, Ann Marie (you can go hunt her down on Instagram @amont022). Together, we are creating exciting ways to bring sweet pantry staples made with truly natural, better-for-you ingredients to the masses. So, when we saw this recipe contest, it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to showcase our love of doughnuts and lemons and the ways in which you can make sweets better for you with just a few simple, plant-based tweaks. Our doughnuts are baked, instead of fried, and they incorporate both fresh lemon juice and zest for a twist on our favorite, classic treat. On urbsandspices.com, I’m currently sharing my experiences in motherhood, culinary exploits, and life in Philly – and soon I will begin documenting the launch of our business, too! Hope you enjoy!

so. there you have it. we’re in a recipe contest. and now we need your votes!! please (please!) head on over to The Chalkboard and vote for our Lemon Thyme Baked Donuts – which are totally vegan, too! here’s the link:

we would be so thankful and grateful for your support. thanks so much for reading and for voting. oh oh… and don’t forget, you can vote on any of your internet-wielding devices (computer/ phone/ iPad/ etc… does everything come with wi-fi these days?). and again, thank you thank you!

[p.s. this post was brought to you entirely thanks to the fact that my baby decided he would be willing to sleep across my lap for a few minutes while i arched my back over him and typed. thank you, little one, for that sweet gift. and thank you, chiropractor, for being able to fix all the damage just done to my posture.]